UConn midseason report: Huskies trending in the right direction

William S. Paxton

Published 10:06 pm, Saturday, February 1, 2014

HARTFORD, CT - DECEMBER 18: Head coach Kevin Ollie of the Connecticut Huskies looks on in the second half against the Stanford Cardinal during the game at XL Center on December 18, 2013 in Hartford, Connecticut.
Photo: Jared Wickerham, Getty Images

STORRS -- The UConn Huskies crossed the midway point of their season a few weeks ago, but they still have slightly more than half the American Athletic Conference portion to go.

After a 9-0 start and being ranked as high as ninth in the country (Dec. 9, AP poll), the Huskies (17-4, 5-3 AAC) hit a mid-December lull that carried over to an 0-2 start in conference play.

Since falling to SMU 74-65 on Jan. 4, the Huskies have won six of seven and head into Cincinnati this week back in the conference championship hunt with 10 games to play.

"We're on our way," UConn second-year coach Kevin Ollie said after beating Houston 80-43 Thursday night for the Huskies' third straight win. "We're trending in the right way -- rebounding, defense -- everything is trending in the right way.

"Now we've go to keep it going."

Besides junior forward DeAndre Daniels trying to recover from a high ankle sprain, the Huskies head into the stretch run relatively healthy looking to build on a three-game winning streak.

"We can't just jump to conclusions after three games," senior guard Shabazz Napier said. "We have to continue to get better and understand we have a big task ahead of us. We have to go out on the road, and we definitely have to keep working hard in practice."

Here's a positional breakdown of the Huskies over the first 21 games:

BACKCOURT: An off-game here or there aside, the Huskies' guard tandem of Napier and Ryan Boatright has been the driving force behind the team's success this season, including late-game heroics vs. Florida and Indiana. Napier (team-highs with 17.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.71 assists) has done it all, calling to mind memories of Kemba Walker's performance during the 2010-11 championship run. Boatright (12.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.65 apg) struggled with his shot early in the season, but has started to heat up in AAC play. Sophomore guard Omar Calhoun (6.0 ppg, .342 shooting percentage) has struggled throughout the season and failed to follow up his sensational freshman campaign. Fortunately for the Huskies, George Washington transfer Lasan Kromah (7.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg) has been better than anyone could have imagined, especially with his defensive skills that have helped shut down several point guards, including Indiana's Yogi Ferrell. Freshman Terrence Samuel has played limited minutes in 13 games, but helped fill in for Boatright against Temple and Ollie remains high on him. Grade: A-

FORWARD: A question mark coming in has turned into an asset for the Huskies at times. UConn is 11-0 when outrebounding opponents, and the emergence of Daniels from an early season funk has played a big part. The team's second best player behind Napier, Daniels has elevated his glass work and offensive game, ranking second in points (13.4) and boards (5.6). Prior to getting hurt, he led the team in rebounds in four of the previous five games and had become a reliable weapon each night. Niels Giffey returned from a summer with the German national team to become one of the top college 3-point shooters (.556) and helped UConn hit at a .415 clip (160-for-386) from outside to lead the AAC. He was instant offense for the Huskies early in the season and has become a dependable sixth man. Freshman Kentan Facey (1.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg) might be the best true rebounder on the team, but has seen limited minutes with veterans ahead of him. Grade: B

CENTER: The biggest concern for the Huskies was how to get 40 minutes of production from the center spot. Senior Tyler Olander has failed to lock down the spot in three seasons and has been consistently inconsistent throughout his career. Sophomore Phil Nolan offered hope at the end of 2013, but struggled with foul trouble and illness the first half of the season. Houston might have been a breakout game for him, though, on Thursday with 10 points and seven rebounds. Freshman Amida Brimah offers the most upside at the position, but struggled early adapting to the college game and a shoulder injury. At times, the 7-footer has been awesome with his shot-blocking ability and when he's played with confidence near the basket (20 points, 8 rebounds, 5 blocks vs. UCF). Grade: B-

Coaching: In some way, the pressure was off the Huskies with no postseason to play for last season, but Ollie did enough to earn a long-term deal. Year Two started off wonderfully with a 9-0 start, but the Huskies hit hard times dropping three of five rolling into conference play. Faced with his first real team adversity, Ollie was able to guide the Huskies back on course by winning six of the last seven. However, this last 10 games and the postseason is where the coaching staff will earn its true grade. At least four of the last 10 opponents are ranked (they face Cincinnati twice) and the Huskies need to continue that upward trend. Handed an inconsistent, young frontcourt, assistant coach Glen Miller has started to see more confidence and results from Brimah and Nolan. Grade: B